Improvement in stem winding and setting watches



e.- P. REED.

Stem-Winding and Setting Watches.

Patented June 10. 1873.

mlziru 11.5. eff? Ft .8. mam 1 5 1 AM, PHOTO-LITHOFRAPIIIC 00 MY('osaomva'; macs) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

GEORGE P. REED, on MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEM WINDING AND SETTING WATCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 139,735, dated J une10, 1873 application filed March 14, 1am.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. REED, of Maiden, Middlesex county,Massachusetts, have invented a Stem-Winding and Hand- Setting WVatch, ofwhich the following is a specification:

My stem-winding and hand-setting mechanism is located below the dial ofthe watch. It is characterized by the employment of a swinging platecarrying two gears or toothed wheels, meshing permanently into eachother and pivoted to it, one at times meshing into a toothed wheel 011the winding-arbor to wind up the mainspring, and the other at timesengaging a toothed wheel on the handsarbor to set the hands; the platebeing swung toward the winding-arbor, to engage the toothed wheelthereon, by the rotation of a crown-pinion or its equivalent, pivoted tothe main plate of the watch and rotated by the pendant knob, ashereinafter explained. With the swinging plate thus arranged I alsocombine a spring for pressing it away from the winding-arbor; and Ifurther combine with these instrumentalities a latch and shippingarrangement, so arranged as to either permit the spring above named toforce the plate and its gears over to the handsarbor, or to hold saidplate out of engagement with the hands-arbor, and in such position thatthe proper rotation of the crown-pinion may carry it over to engage thewinding wheel.

I shall now proceed to describe my invention in detail.

The drawings accompanying this specificationv represent, in Figure 1, arear-face view of the main plate of a watch with my improvements appliedthereto, Figs. 2 and 3 being sections of the same.

In these drawings, A denotes the main or pillar plate of a watch, A thehands-arbor, and B the inclosing ring or center of the case of the same,the. pendant of such case being shown at O and the winding-knob of suchpendant at D; such knob having a hollow or socketed spindle or shank, E,which passes through, or nearly through, a passage, a, made in it andthe center B. 0/ denotes the winding or barrel arbor, and b a toothedwheel fixed upon the same. In that side of the plate A adjacent to thependant of the center I produce an opening, I), and within this openingI dispose a crown-pinion, 0, such pinion possessing a square stem ortenon, d, which finds a bearin g in the circumference of the plate, andprotrudes beyond the outer face of such plate. The spindle of thependant-- knob is formed with a square socket, c, into which the tenonot' the crown-pinion enters when the plate A isinserted in place withinthe center, thus permitting the knob to turn the pinion in one or theother direction. F in the drawin gs represents a sectoral carrierplatedisposed upon the main plate, and pivoted at its apex or smaller end tosuch pillarplate by a stud,f, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, thispivot of the carrier-plate being about opposite the axis of thecrown-pinion 0 before named. To the outer face of the carrier-plate, andnear its apex, I pivot a spurgear wheel, G, upon a circular dislr, g,this pivotal disk 9 being substantially upon a line with the pivot f andthe axisof the crownpinion, in order that a slight swaying of thecarrier-plate upon its pivot shall not throw the wheel G out ofengagement with the wheel on the winding-arbor, into which it meshespermanently. At one corner of the carrier-plate F, or that nearest thehandsarbor, I pivot a star-toothed wheel, h, this wheel being disposedupon a concentric line struck from the pivot of the carrier-plate andintercepting the axis of the hands-arbor, and situated immediatelyadjacent to a second star-toothed wheel, t', of substantially like sizeand form, attached to the hands-arbor; my object in adopting this formof tooth for the wheels h and t being to enable the teeth of one to partfrom those of the other without disturbing the position of the hands, aswould be the case were the ordinary form of teeth employed. In thecircumferential end of the carrier-plate, and about centrally thereof, Icreate a tapering notch or aperture, k, widening outward, as shown inFig'. 1 of the drawings; while operating in connection with this notch Iemploy a latch or shipper, composed of a bar, I, pivoted, by a screw orstud, m, to the pillar-plate A, the free or vibratory end of this barextending over the adjacent corner of the carrier-plate, and formed uponits inner extremity with a hook or catch, a, to enter the notch k ofsaid plate. The shipper or bar lis a bent lever, the outer and shorterarm 0 of which is bifurcated, and receives a stud, p, erected upon theinner end of a slide or plate, q, pivoted to the pillar-plate A, and toone side of and about parallel to thesaid shipper l. The base of thelever or shipper Z is V-shaped, and takes into one of twosimilarly-formed notches, 1' or 0-, formed in the free end of aspring-latch, s, which is affixed to the plate A, and below or outsideof the shipper, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, this spring latch,with its two notches, serving to retain the shipper in one or the otherof its extreme positions. A spring, f, is affixed to the plate Aalongside of the wheel b of the winding or mainspring arbor, and in suchposition with respect to the carrierplate F as to rest upon the apex ofthe same, the stress of the spring thereupon tending to force the wheel9 away from and out of engagement with the said wheel I).

The above description embraces the mechanical construction of themechanism comprising the subject of my present improvements, the actionof such mechanism being as follows: The sectoral-plate being in one ofits extreme positions, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings-that is tosay, with the wheel h out of engagement with the wheel 1', and the hookof the shipper l situated at the mouth of the flaring notch it butbearing upon the lower side of the latter, the carrier-plate is free toswing or play upon its axis in one direction at the instance of thecrown-pinion 0, but is locked against play in the opposite direction bythe hook of the shipper Z.

If winding of the watch is the object sought, the pendant-knob is turnedto the right in the usual manner, or in the direction shown by the arrowin Fig. 1, which puts the crown-pinion in partial rotation in the samedirection; such partial rotation of said pinion,-acting upon the wheel9, throws or swings the carrier-plate toward the wheel I) and engagesthe said wheel 9 with the wheel I), the ensuing rotations of thecrown-pinion and wheel g effecting corresponding rotations of thewinding-arbor, and the winding up" of the mainspring. Upon releasing thepressure upon the knob D the spring tturns the sectoral plate upon itspivot and throws the wheel 9 out of engagement with the wheel upon thewinding-arbor, thus permitting the entire winding mechanism to remainidle except at such times as the mainspring is being wound up.

When it is desired to set the hands the slider q is pulled outward toits fullest extent, which act throws the free end of the shipper Ztoward the pivot of the wheel 1, and drives the wiper-stud a of suchshipper into the notch 7c of the carrier-plate F, by this means allowingthe spring t to swing the said plate upon its pivot toward thehands-arbor, and compelling the wheel h to take into the wheel 4. uponsuch hands-arbor. Under this condition of parts the shipper I is lockedin position against accidental misplacement by the notch a of thespring-latch s, the carrier-1 late F is estopped from movement in anydirection, and the wheel 9 not allowed access to the wheel 1) uponturning of the knob and crownpinion. The hands may now be set in anyposition, as a turn of the knob in either direction effects acounter-movement of the hands-arbor and hands through the agency of thecrown-pinion c and wheels g, h, and i.

The setting of the hands having been accomplished, the slider q ispushed inward, which throws the shipper l out of the notch k and leavesthe plate F free to be forced toward the wheel I), the outward thrust ofthe shipper effecting, by the action of its stud n upon one side of thenotch k, the swinging of the carrier-plate F away from the hands-arborand wheel i, and into the position assumed at our starting-point. If theoperator fails to push in the slider q after setting the hands, thecase, in closing, wipes against the slider and effects the object.

The winding mechanism is at rest except at the moment of winding up themainspring, consequently little wear results to it. The re verserotation of the knob has no effect upon the winding-arbor or its wheel,as the spring it throws the plate F instantly away from the wheel of thewinding-arbor the moment the forward pressure upon the knob ceases.

I am enabled, should it become necessary or desirable at any time, towind the watch or set the hands by the use of a key, as the windingmechanism, as before stated, is iso= lated from the winding-arbor or thehandsarbor except at the time of winding up the mainspring. In thismanner, it the stemwinding mechanism gives out, akey becomes available.

Sufticient friction exists between the wheel G and its disk-pivot g toovercome the power of the spring 2? when the plate F is turned by thecrown-pinion 0 toward the wheel I) on the winding-arbor, while at thesame time this friction is so light that the reverse turn of thecrown-pinion and knob is hardly perceptible.

By my method of arranging the carrierplate F and wheels Gr and h inrelation to the winding and hands arbors and their actuating wheels, Iam enabled to dispense with a pawl and ratchet wheel in connection withthe winding-knob, and thus do away with the disagreeable soundconsequent upon such pawl and wheel.

\Vhen in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings the shipper llocks the carrier-plate F in such a condition that the reverse orrearward turn of the knob and crown-wheel cannot throw the carrier-plateand its wheel h toward or into contact with the wheel upon thehands-arbor.

I claim- 1. In stem-winding and hand-setting mech anism for watches, aswinging plate carrying two gears or toothed wheels, meshing permanentlyinto each other and pivoted to it,

one at times meshing into and driving a toothed wheel fixed upon thewindingarbor, to wind up the mainspring, and the other at times takinginto a oothed wheel fixed upon the hands-arbor, to set the hands, theplate being swung toward the winding-arbor and the latter wheels engagedby the rotation of a crown-pinion pivoted to the main plate of the watchand rotated by the pendantknob, substantially as and for purposesstated.

2. In combination with the swinging carrier-plate and its two wheels,arranged with relation to the hands-arbor and the windingarbor, andoperated to move toward the latter by the crown-pinion c, as described,the

G. P. REED.

' Witnesses:

F. CURTIS, W. E. BOARDMAN.

